Pa. House approves 3 more child-abuse bills

Monday, June 24, 2013

HARRISBURG (AP) — The state House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Monday to redefine child abuse in Pennsylvania — a central piece of a legislative package aimed at strengthening protections for children in the state.

The bill and two others that the House sent to the Senate are part of a larger push to clarify and toughen Pennsylvania’s laws since the Jerry Sandusky sexual-molestation scandal raised concern about the problem.

The definitions bill, which passed the House on a 191-6 vote after a brief debate, would broaden the description of abuse to encourage more reporting of such instances.

It includes types of harm, such as bodily injury, sexual abuse or serious physical neglect, and specifies violent acts that constitute abuse. It also provides exceptions in certain situations — for example, parents or guardians who use reasonable force to control or discipline a child or who refuse to provide medical or surgical care for a child based on deeply held religious beliefs.

In drafting the legislation, “every word was scrutinized to try to get to a consensus” among interest groups, said Rep. Scott Petri, the bill’s prime sponsor.

The Bucks County Republican said the national rate of substantiated abuse of children younger than 1 is about 21 per 1,000, while the Pennsylvania rate is less than one.

“That does not mean there’s not child abuse in Pennsylvania,” but that it’s being under-reported, he said.

The other bills sent to the Senate on Monday involve clearance requirements for people who work with children and identifying adults who are required to report abuse.

Sandusky, an assistant under longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, was convicted a year ago of dozens of counts of child sexual abuse. He is serving a lengthy state prison sentence but maintains his innocence, acknowledging he showered with boys but denying he molested them.